Regis University is inspired by the particular vision of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), which poses the challenge to think critically, engage in personal reflection and serve those in need.

Research & Scholarship

Research Interests

Performances of self and society.
Devised, community-based theatre and dialogue.
Pedagogy, the Working Alliance and assesment.
How systems, communication, responsiveness, creativity and humor reflect and impact the quality of our relationships and experiences.
The physician-patient relationship.
Communication, death and dying.
Developing resilience and robustness in teens, through the encouragement of artistic, creative responses to adversity.
Performance in prison.

Recent Publications

Performing arts and community exchange. First author with Amie Dowling. Chapter in Service-Learning and Civic Engagement: A Sourcebook. Sage Publications. (Forthcoming April, 2014).

Performing arts and community exchange (PACE) and the fulfillment of the Jesuit educational promise. First author with Amie Dowling. Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal, Vol 1, No 1 (2012).

Theater, artful inquiry and public purpose: Communicating deeply important stories and helping
to make them relevant. In Foreman-Wernet, L. and Dervin, B. Audiences and the Arts:
Communication Perspectives. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Recent Presentations

Sketch Comedy as a Basis for Difficult Dialogues. Social Justice Training in Professional Psychology: Promoting Vision and Action. National Council of Schools and Programs in Professional Psychology. New Orleans.

How ought we to laugh? Sketch comedy, diversity & dialogue on campus. All the Things We Are Diversity Conference, Regis University, Denver, CO.

The House Not Touched by Death. Play; panel discussion about theatre and health care. Performing the World International Conference, New York, NY.

Face: Online, live and immediate theatre for teens in a wireless world. Round table/workshop. Performing the World International Conference, New York, NY.

Face: Online, live and immediate theatre for teens in a wireless world. Preconference session. Dramatic Change: An Anti-Bullying Initiative. American Alliance for Theatre Education National Conference, Lexington, KY.

Bringing light to the darkness where the worst of us are kept: Using theatre to connect to correctional institutions. Panel presentation. Theatre Alive: Theater, Media, and Survival:24th Annual Association for Theatre in Higher Education National Conference, Los Angeles, CA.

Guest lecturer on performance theory. Sports and Performance Program, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, University of Denver, CO.

Awards & Recognition

Regis University faculty publication grant

Regis University summer grant

Case Foundation Make It Your Own! Award for project Five Two Eight O

Community Involvment & Service

Advising

2004-prsnt Advise undergraduate students, both Communication majors and entering freshmen - on course selection & programmatic decisions. Mentor, listen, help to reframe when appropriate, and provide information about support services available to students who need more than academic advising

Other service

2012-2013 Founder, convener of Regis Performance Alliance and administrator of social media page

2012-2013 Administrator, Communication Department social media page

2012 Faculty Development committee substitute member

2008 Campus Facilities working group member

2007 English Department search committee member

Fall/07 Produced campus colloquium on difference

Spr/07 Within context of community-based learning in upper division dialogue class, produced campus-wide dialogues on race and racism in collaboration with Diversity Office

Facilitated a collaboration between Regis and director Angela Astle to produce Dead Man

Walking at the Denver Victorian Theatre. Regis students participated as actors or production assistants, and Regis classes attended

Within context of community-based learning in undergraduate Honors speech communication course, evaluated, revised and produced content for ACEC website and community brochure

2006-2012 Created, produced and facilitated many campus dialogues on diversity

Fall/06 Within context of community-based learning in undergraduate Honors speech communication course, produced a documentary video for the Adams County Educational Consortium (ACEC) on their activities, specifically their Career Expo for 8th graders. The video is used by ACEC to communicate ACEC’s mission to middle school and high school teachers and students, parents and community

Professional Activity

2008 Planning Committee for the (2008) Western States Communication Association conference

2008 Western States Communication Association conference. Facilitated a Community Roundtable during the opening event, where communication scholars offered pro bono consultation to local nonprofits. Broomfield, CO

2008 Represented Ko Theatre Works at the Network of Ensemble Theatres Gathering in New Orleans, LA

1992 Serving Time. Full length play created from real letters between an American woman and an Algerian bank robber imprisoned in France. (Collected, edited, translated from French; performed). Ko Festival of Performance. Directed by Sabrina Hamilton